Banquet to Honor Retired Sportscaster Bill Mercer

DENTON - Former longtime voice of Mean Green athletics, Bill Mercer, will be honored at a fund-raising banquet on the University of North Texas campus on Thursday, August 18. The event, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Gateway Center, will celebrate th

DENTON Former longtime voice of Mean Green athletics, Bill Mercer, will be honored at a fund-raising banquet on the University of North Texas campus on Thursday, August 18.

The event, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Gateway Center, will celebrate the long and celebrated sportscasting and teaching career of Mercer while serving as a fund-raising effort on behalf of Building Believers, Inc. Building Believers is a non-profit organization started by former Mean Green basketball player Deon Hunter who starred on the 1987-88 team that advanced to the NCAA tournament that serves D-FW youth through fundamental basketball training.

Among the featured speakers scheduled to attend the banquet are several of Mercer’s former UNT broadcasting students, including ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Barnett and Craig Way, the voice of athletics at the University of Texas.

Mercer, who served as the voice of North Texas athletics for more than 30 years before retiring, also helped start the campus radio station, KNTU-FM. He also served as the radio play-by-player announcer for the Dallas Cowboys and was the first radio voice for the Texas Rangers. He also earned considerable notoriety for his work as an announcer for televised wrestling broadcasts during the 1980s.

Tickets are priced at $50 per person and can be purchased by calling 817-491-9602 or by going online at Hoophunter@hoophunter.com. Tickets may also be purchased at two locations in Denton: Denton Bicycle Center, 1700 N. Elm and Denton Athletics, 908 W. University Drive.